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Arts and commerce on the Kingston Corridor

Brilliant gathering at Beahive KIngston Monday: you should have been there… and many people were.
Speakers:
“Nancy Donskoj / Main Street Manager, City of Kingston Cabot Parsons / Chair, Beacon CityArts Megan Whilden / Director, Office of Cultural Development, City of Pittsfield, MA

The Event was sponsored by Chrongram and Beahive, with an introduction by Jason Stern of chronogram, Scott Tillet of Beahive, expressing their interest and concern for city and creative arts and solopreneurs, followed by a panel discussion lead by Brian Mahoney the editor of Chronogram.

Entertaining and very informative presentations given last night at Beahive Kingston on the subject about art, artists and the life and civic commerce it brings and has brought to these cities. I say civic commerce here because of it’s draw from the city and the surrounding areas, a place to gather, a place to be.
Excellent visuals, talks, good attendance and attention… a delightful early evenings entertainment and some excellent business and community insights.
PIttsfield artists loved the storefront space where they could show and work and bring life to the city sidewalks… theatre, dining, street celebrations grew from there with a growing sense of community and events with the real bustle that is our attraction to the city. Beacon, much smaller, but again, some great space, and Beacon Dia which drew tourists to the museum but were drawn to the art scene on Beacons main street, with some bright artistic banners along the path to point the way to more are. Kingston, dating to 1995 with the Artists Derby and the sculpture display along the corridor from Uptown to the Rondout was a beacon of light to artists looking for community.
While the artist work was grass roots, a natural expression of the community, PIttsfield and Beacon had support and buy in from the city government, and continues to have that in a big way. And as in Kingston, it’s not just art but art and community: we have Art Society of KIngston and Seven 21 and Keegan and UPAC and R and F Paints (materials, art, classes and expertise) and Backstage Productions and First Saturday (which has now been adopted in similar form by 8 other communities along the Hudson), we have KingstonCitizens.org and Neighborhood watch, Kingston Happenings.org and KIngstonCorridor, Kingston, too, is a hub, a central point for Rosendale and New Paltz and Woodstock and Saugerties, wonderful communities. (I see there is much too much to attempt to list!) The local cooperation and inclusion was an important factor in the success of PIttsfield and Beacon.
The business of art, the artists, the families, the sounds and sights that come with art, this draws citizens to the streets and walks of the city… where the thoroughfares of the city are not just to stream traffic through but are access to the walks and parks and shops which are the destinations, where the fine art of people watching and mingling flourish and in turn, again decorate the city scape.
Walkers, kids, buggies, bikes, pets, storefronts, the sure sign that something interesting is going on there. That’s the place to be.
The histories, how the art and city and people interact, the celebrations and involvement… excellent talks and visuals by all.
There will be more events like this at Beahive: not to be missed